Sincere But LostMatthew 7:21-23 is one of the saddest Scriptures in the Bible. It reads: "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."What could be sadder than to sincerely practice a religion, but be eternally lost? Yet, Jesus taught that some sincere but lost souls will plead with him at the final judgment. Jesus did not criticize them for being sincere. Other Bible verses teach that a person must sincerely practice Christianity to please God. However, Jesus condemned the souls described in Matthew 7:21-23 because they did not do or obey the will of God. Their mistake was to obey the teaching of men instead of obeying the teaching of God (which is found in the Bible). According to Jesus, religion that practices the teaching of men is vain. "But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men" (Matthew 15:9). Jesus Christ is the true Savior. His church is the only real church. Further, the Bible is God's only teaching for men today; the New Testament (or Gospel) is the portion of the Bible that tells about Jesus Christ, the church and salvation. God does not want anyone to be lost. Your friends from the churches of Christ do not want you to be lost either. Contact us today for literature that will help you study the Bible so you can know whether your religion is vain or approved by God. The greatest human tragedy is to be sincere but lost! |